We at Bible Baptist Church, after examining our identity, our purpose, and our plan, have identified five key principles which define our focus and guide our actions as a body of be- lievers. Communicating purpose is vital to any institution’s existence and progress; therefore we desire to accurately present who we are to our membership and to the community. The five principles outlined below were developed using Scripture, our location, and our history as the underlying themes. These principles are so significant that we choose not only to write them on paper or electronically, but to also write them on our hearts to live them out daily. The members of our church choose to demonstrate these important principles, to not merely continue as a church, but to also do more for the sake of Christ in the future.

The Scripture is our full and final authority to govern our assembly. Though wisdom may be found in other books, the Bible is God’s way of communicating with man, and it is our source for guidance and wisdom. Therefore decisions, not only in church but in all areas of life, should be guided by the truths contained in Scripture. We believe that by following the Scriptures, and embracing our location, and our history, we can focus on the following five principles which define who we are. We believe that by living out these five principles we will demonstrate strength for our future as we continue to be a voice for truth. So what are these principles, and how do we intend to demonstrate them?

Follow God. We take seriously the command- ment to follow God. As the disciples, in Luke 5:11, “forsook all and followed him.”, so must we choose to forsake all that would hinder God’s desire for our lives. When a woman accepts a man’s request for marriage she is not only saying “Yes” to her groom, but also saying “No” to every other man. We are instructed to put off our old way of living and follow after God and His righteousness. In Matthew 6:33, we are instructed to seek God first, and in Mark 12:30, Jesus told us that the first and greatest com- mandment was to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. Following God demon- strates our love for God and is the greatest thing that a person can do in life, and we desire to live this out each time we are at church, as well as throughout the week. We follow God by hiding His word in our heart, by reading it, listening to it, writing it out, meditating upon it, and memorizing portions of it. Coupled with ingesting God’s Word, we desire to pray often. When we speak to God in prayer, we praise Him, demonstrate our thankfulness to Him, and petition Him, knowing that He desires to hear from each of us. When following God, we are more interested in pleasing Christ than we are in pleasing ourselves or pleasing others.

Fellowship with each other. The church at Jerusalem “continued steadfastly in the apos- tles’ doctrine and fellowship,” in Acts 2:42. These Christians were not only interested in having fellowship with each other, but also in having friendship with each other. Each of us, as followers of God, wants and needs genuine friends. Though there is no perfect church or perfect people, finding a church to fellowship with godly friends is foundational for success as a productive Christian. Fellowship goes beyond mere socializing, as it includes deeper conver- sations where we may speak not only of what we are going through, but also see the bigger picture from God’s perspective. Fellowship is not limited to before and after worship services as opportunities can also occur throughout the week. Throughout the year we attend offsite retreats or other special events allowing us to develop and grow friendships with each other. Churches in the New Testament often shared fellowship, and it is still relevant for today. Knowing that we have been commanded to love one other, we choose to fellowship with each other as well.

Faithfully attend services. Jesus modeled this in Luke 4:16 when, “… he came to Naza- reth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day…” Jesus is our example in how often we should come to God’s house, and He did it regularly even before He started His ministry. As a young boy, as a teenager, and as a young adult, He put a priority on worship. He worshipped in His local city and no doubt submitted to the authority that God had placed there. Near the end of His earthly ministry, He died on the cross for the church. In response, we desire to express our devotion to Him by faithfully attending services. Rather than simply be an occasional spectator, we desire to be an active participant. We choose to say “No” in attending some other activities because faithfully attending our church has become a greater priority in our lives. Faithful church attendance may displace some other temporal activities, but the eternal benefit to our families and our community motivates regular participation in the ministries of our church. We want to experience more of God. In a day when our culture minimizes the importance of church attendance, we believe that the local church equips God’s people to become stronger, to refocus, and to find victory when surrounded by uncertainty.

Focus on serving. Jesus says in Mark 10:44, “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” The attitude of serving was exemplified by Christ. He did not come to be served but rather to serve others. As Jesus taught His disciples to serve each other, their community, and the rest of the world, we desire as a church to do the same. We cannot, and will not, have a vision that only includes ourselves, but we will strive to passionately serve others. Although there may be some things that we are not able to do, we will rally around the things that we can do and strive to achieve them. Every Christian has gifts and abilities with which to serve, and both finding and using those gifts allows us to be more like Christ.

Frequently Evangelize. Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” This is evangelism, and Noah Webster defined the word evange- lize as “To instruct in the gospel; to preach the gospel to, and convert to a belief of the gospel…” This command is still relevant, and we recognize that our city and the whole world need to hear the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ for He is our only hope to have our sins forgiven. We whole-heartedly reject the belief that man can forgive sin, or that good works somehow allow us to be pure before God. Knowing this, we believe that we are to be messengers and are to point people to Christ who alone can forgive sins. We look for opportunities to tell others and to remind those who have this hope what has transpired since they received it. It is not merely enough to serve and fellowship with people around us; we must also share this message by frequently evangelizing which goes beyond liv- ing a particular lifestyle to verbalizing the gospel of Christ.

Follow God. Fellowship with each other. Faithfully attend services. Focus on serving. Frequently evangelize. These five principles define our focus and give us purpose to live passionate Christian lives. We believe that almost every command that God has for us can fall underneath these five principles which are the umbrella of truth for our church, and we purpose to live by them.